Barrel cleaner shell for firearms



Oct. 5, 1965 c. G. MERcAToRls, JR 3,209,690

BARREL CLEANER SHELL FOR FIREARMS Filed May 15 1964.

BYQ'DCV AT QRNEY# United States Patent O 3,209,690 BARREL CLEANER SHELL FR FIREARMS Clarence G. Mercatoris, Jr., 940 Beachwood Drive, Meadville, Pa. Filed May 15, 1964, Ser. No. 367,650 6 Claims. (Cl. 102-39) This invention relates to shells for cleaning the bores of firearm barrels, and more particularly to a shell for cleaning the bore of 'a relatively large bore rearm, such as a shotgun and the like.

It is one of the objects of this invention to provide such an improved cleaning shell for shot guns and the like which is substantially of .the same size and shape as a standard shotgun shell.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved barrel cleaning shell which is simple and inexpensive in its construction, and yet at the same time, efcient and effective in its use in loosening and in cleaning the burnt powder and rust from the barrel.

lIt is a more specic object of the linvention to provide such an improved cleaning shell for Shotguns and the like wherein there is provided a projectile in the shell casing having a liquid container arranged therewith which when propelled through the bore of the gun permits the liquid in the container to be expelled to the peripheral surface of the bore with a quantity of cleaning material arranged in the shell rearwardly of the container which is moved through the bore of the barrel after the propelling powder charge has passed through the bore so as' to leave the bore in a clean c-ondition.

Various other objects and advantages of this invention will be more apparent in the course of the following specification, and will Ibe particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, there is shown for the purpose of illustration an embodiment which the invention may assume in practice.

In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the improved barrel cleaning shell constructed in accordance with the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2 2 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3 3 of FIG. 2,

' FIG. 4 is asectional view taken on line 4 4 of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5 5 of FIG. 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the improved barrel cleaning shell in accordance with the present invention has the size, shape and general appearance of an ordinaryvshotgun shell and consists of a cylindrical hollow casing 2 formed of paper or other suitable mate- -rial having a cap or head 3 secured to one or the inner end thereof so as to close this end of the casing, and a primer 4 extending axially through the cap or head 3 into the interior of the casing. Within the casing directly next to the inner side of the cap or head 3, there is positioned a conventional circular wad or pad 5 having an aperture axially thereof into which the primer 4 extends.

There is also mounted within the casing 2, an elongated hollow plastic tubular member 6 having an enlarged substantially frusto-conical shaped head portion 7 at one end thereof which is positioned directly next to the Wad or pad 5 therein. Also within the casing adjacent the outer end of the shell there is arranged a cup-like container member 8, preferably made from some suitable plastic material, having a closed inner wall, as at 9, and a hollow cylindrical axial portion 10 into and through which the outer end of the plastic tube extends. At the outer end of the shell and within the casing, there is mounted a weighted assembly 12 in the form of a circular washer or disc of metal which is disposed directly next to the open 3,209,690 Patented Oct. 5, 1965 ICC end of the cap-like member 8 and which acts as a cap therefor and as the head of the lead projectile 13 which is dispos-ed in the outer end of the plastic tube 6.

Within :this cup-like member S, there is arranged a pair of nylon ejection cords 14 having one end thereof attached to the inner side of this weighted assembly 12, as

at 15, and the opposite end attached to the inner side of the closed inner wall 9, as at 16. On the inner side of the closed inner Wall 9, there is arranged extension 17 which acts as a locking device for assembly of projectile head and cup after compressed bore cleaning material has been disposed around tubular member 6 which is attached, as at 18, to the outer side of the elongated plastic tube `6 so as to move therewith in Ia manner presently to be described.

In the cup-like member 8, there is disposed preferably a cleaning liquid 19, such as a solvent or rust inhibitor, with the cords 14 loosely coiled and immersed therein, as shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings. In the space around the tubular member 6 between the same and the wall of the casing and inwardly of the frusto-conical portion 7, there is disposed a quantity of suitable compressed bore cleaning material 20, such as ordinarily employed in the wadding of shot gun shells. This cleaning material is preferably of cotton waste, felt material, or other suitable material, with or without oil, or an abrasive, as may be desired, which is packed in the shell 4casing around the tubular member 6 and between the same and the inner periphery of the shell casing to a highly compressed degree, so that it remains in the shell on the initial explosion thereof lbut will freely expand within the barrel on propulsion of the projectile through and out of the barrel. Within the tubular member 6, directly opposite the primer 4 and in the space between the same and the inner end of the lead projectile 13 there is disposed a powder charge 21.

Having described the construction of my improved barrel cleaning shell, it functions in the following manner. It will be understood that the shell, as shown in FIG. 1, is positioned in the shell chamber of the gun barrel the same as an ordinary shell is positioned therein. With the cleaning shell thus positioned in the shell chamber of the gun barrel, when the powder charge 19 is tired, the explosion of the powder will act on the inner end of the projectile 13, thereby driving it together with the weighted assembly '12 through the bore of the gun barrel. Such movement will result in the uncapping of the cap-like member 8 and permit the liquid 19 therein to escape therefrom and flow into the bore of the barrel.

Upon continued movement of the weighted assembly 12 the slack in the ejection cords 14 will be gradually taken up and as the weighted assembly moves out of the muzzle end of the gun barrel these cords 14 will be fully stretched and upon continued movement of the weighted assembly, these cords will pull the cap-like member 8 together with Ithe tubular member 6 to which it is attached from the shell casing 2 and through the bore of the gun. In such movement of this it will be seen that the cleaning material 20 will be pushed through the bore by the frusto-conical portion 7 of the tubular member and this cleaning material will thoroughly scrub the inner surface of the gun barrel and remove therefrom all foreign material, such as rust and burned powder.

It will be understood that the two cords 14 should be of such length when stretched .as to ensure that all powder and gases of explosion are completely burned and spent before the inertia of the lead projectile pulls the tubular member 6 through the barrel.

`As a result of my invention it will be seen that there is` provided an improved cleaning shell by means of which the bore of a gun can be satisfactorily cleaned quickly and easily without the need of oil, cleaning rods and rags usually employed for such purposes. It will also be seen that this cleaning shell is so constructed and arranged as to render it very effective for the purpose intended and can be conveniently used in the eld immediately after the gun has been exploded.

While there is shown and described an embodiment which the invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this embodiment is merely for the purpose of illustration and description, and that other forms may be devised within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A bore cleaning shell comprising a hollow cylindrical shell casing having an open end and a closed end,

a primer extending through said closed end into said casing,

a cylindrical cap-like weighted member ar-ranged in the open end of said casing,

a projectile arranged axially of said casing opposite said cap-like member,

means for holding a quantity of liquid material in said casing adjacent said cap-like member and opposite said projectile,

said liquid material adapted to be dispersed from said means into the bore of the barrel when said cap-like member is moved out ofthe end of said casing by said projectile,

cleaning material disposed in the space around said projectile and the inner wall of said casing,

a powder charge disposed within said easing between said primer and said projectile, and

means responsive to the movement of said cap-like member out of said casing for moving said cleaning material through the bore of the barrel rearwardly of said liquid material therein.

2. A bore cleaning shell comprising a hollow cylindrical shell casing having an open end and a closed end,

a primer extending through said closed end into said casing,

a cylindrical cap-like weighted member arranged in the open end of said casing,

a projectile arranged axially of said casing opposite said cap-like member,

a liquid container arranged within said casing adjacent ysaid cap-like member,

flexible and stretchable means interconnecting said eaplike member with said container for pulling said container out of said casing when said cap-like member is moved out of the end of said casing by said projectile,

a quantity of a cleaning liquid disposed within said container,

cleaning material disposed in the space around said projectile and the inner wall of said casing,

a powder charge disposed within said casing between said primer and said projectile, and

means responsive to the movement of said liquid container out of said casing for moving said cleaning material through the bore of the barrel.

3. A bore cleaning shell comprising a hollow cylindrical shell casing having an open end and a closed end,

a primer extending through said closed end into said casing,

an elongated tubular member arranged within said casing axially thereof,

a cylindrical cap-like weighted member arranged in the open end of said casing,

a projectile arranged in said tubular member opposite said cap-like member,

means arranged within said casing adjacent the outer end of said tubular member in which a cleaning liquid is adapted to be disposed,

flexible and stretchable means interconnecting said cap-like member With said container for pulling said container out of said casing when said cap-like member is moved out of the end of said casing by said projectile,

cleaning material disposed in the space around said tubular member and the inner wall of said casing,

a powder charge disposed within said tubular member between said primer and said projectile, and

means responsive to the movement of said liquid container out of said casing for moving said cleaning material through the bore of the barrel upon movement of said tubular member therethrough.

4. A bore cleaning shell comprising a hollow cylindrical shell casing having an open end and a closed end,

a primer extending through said closed end into said casing,

an elongated member arranged within said casing axially thereof,

a cylindrical cap-like weighted member arranged in the open end of said casing,

a cylindrical liquid container arranged within said casing around said elongated member,

-at least one exible and stretchable member having one end thereof attached to said cap-like member and the other end attached to said container,

a quantity of a cleaning liquid disposed within said container,

a projectile arranged axially of said casing opposite said cap-like member,

means connecting said container to said elongated member,

cleaning material disposed in the space around said elongated member and the inner Wall of said casing,

a powder charge disposed within said casing between said primer and said projectile, and

means arranged on the inner end of said elongated member for moving said cleaning material through the bore of the barrel upon movement of said elongated member therethrough.

5. A bore cleaning shell comprising a hollow cylindrical shell casing having an open end and a closed end,

a primer extending thr-ough said closed end into said casing,

an elongated tubular member arranged within said casing axially thereof,

a cylindrical cap-like weighted member arranged in the -open end of said casing,

means arranged within said casing adjacent the outer end of said tubular member in which a cleaning liquid is adapted to be disposed,

at least one flexible and stretchable member disposed within said casing having one end attached to said lcap-like member and the other end attached to said last mentioned means,

a projectile arranged in said tubular member opposite said cap-like member,

means connecting said last mentioned means to said tubular member,

cleaning material disposed in the space around said tubular member and the inner wall of said casing,

a powder charge disposed within said tubular member between said primer and said projectile, and

means arranged on the inner end of said tubular mem- 'ber for moving said cleaning material through the bore of lthe barrel upon movement of said tubular `member therethrough.

6. A bore cleaning shell comprising a hollow cylindrical shell casing having an open end and a closed end,

a primer extending through said closed end into said casing,

an elongated tubular member arranged within said casing axially thereof having an enlarged circular portion at one end thereof of a diameter slightly less than the interior diameter of said casing and disposed adjacent said primer,

a cylindrical cap-like weighted member arranged in the `open end of said casing,

an open ended cylindrical container arranged within said casing having its open end disposed directly next to said cap-like member,

5 6 at least one ilexible and stretchable member disposed means connecting said container to said tubular memw-ithin said container having one end thereof attached ber, to said cap-like member and the other end attached Cleaning material disposed in the Space around said t0 Said goma-mer, tubular member and the inner wall of said casing said container having a hollow cylindrical central por- 5 a'ilven Iid enlarged Circular Portion and Said C011 tion arranged axially thereof which is positioned raround the outer end of said tubular member,

a quantity of a cleaning liquid disposed within said 'container member No references cited.

a projectile arranged in said tubular member opposite 10 `said cap-like member and in contact therewith, BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner.

a powder charge disposed within said tubular member between said primer and said projectile. 

